We Should Fear God, But Not Be Afraid Of God.
It is interesting to note that our views of God and Santa Claus are often too similar. We consider them to live in far-off places. God is in heaven. Santa is in the North Pole. They both work behind the scenes or in ways we are not fully aware of. Santa does most of his work while we are sleeping on Christmas Eve. We often speak of God’s work as subtle, behind the scenes, or as happening in “mysterious” ways. We communicate to both of these figures when we are in times of need and we hope that both of them will grant us all the items on our wishlists. Their moral response to humanity can be viewed as disappointing.
Santa gets back at the “naughty” with lumps of coal. This feels like an underwhelming response to the cruel and brutal evils done by some. God appears to be incapable of preventing moral atrocities and bringing to justice those who hurt others.
Their reward for righteous behavior also feels inadequate at times. Santa gives gifts that break by the next Christmas and God’s blessings seem to last for a short season as well. If we let our view of God be informed by our thoughts of Santa we are going to be disappointed. I’m not trying to insult your view of Santa with this comparison, but rather I’m trying to show you that if we think of God like Santa we are in trouble.
Mary had a much healthier view of God than this. To the modern hearer, her view may sound odd. She feared God. The reason this sounds odd to us is that we understand the word “fear” as referring to terror or being scared. Mary was not scared or terrified of God, but she would have described herself as fearing God.
Big Idea: We should fear God, but not be afraid of God.
The idea of fearing God was not novel to Mary. She wasn’t the author of this idea. “Fearing God” was an ancient idea that was spoken of frequently in the Old Testament. Fearing God meant revering him and not being terrified of him. This sort of fear leads to following God not fleeing from him. Those who feared God in the Bible had an accurate view of his power and purity. They also understood his compassion and love. They didn’t try to tame God by diminishing his power. They trusted in his character and saw that his power was working for their good. When there is a power that is out of our control, we fear it, but when that power is used for our good, we are not afraid of it. Let’s see how Mary feared God but was not afraid of God.
Beyond Fear: Mary's View of God and Its Power to Transform Your Life
Luke 1:46-55, “46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
This is a beautiful song of praise from Mary. We will study this song today and next week in our Christmas series. Today, I want to focus on verses 46-50. This is the section of the song that focuses on Mary’s reflection on what God has done for her personally in allowing her to be the mother of the Messiah, Jesus. There are several concepts in this song that have Old Testament connections. Understanding these connections will allow us to discern the magnitude of her view of God. Her description of God as “mighty” and “holy” reveals how powerful and morally pure she believed God was.
Mary's View of God: Unmatched Power & Unyielding Holiness
First, let’s look at her description of God as “mighty.” She spoke of God as being “mighty,” having done “great things,” and showing strength with “his arm.” These phrases carry significant Old Testament meanings. In the context of Luke 1 God has already been described as doing the impossible in verse 37 regarding his work of bringing about a virgin conception. The writers of the Old Testament often spoke of God’s might in his work of creation and his miraculous intervention in history. Frequently God’s “might” and “strong arm” are mentioned with reference to his deliverance of his people, whether from the Egyptians in the Exodus or other foes in their history. This sort of language is repeatedly found when an author describes God as engaging in warfare. Psalms 89 reflects how the writers of the Old Testament spoke of the “mighty arm” of God doing “great things.”
Psalms 89:5-13, “Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! 6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, 7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? 8 O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? 9 You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. 10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. 11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. 12 The north and the south, you have created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name. 13 You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.”
This Psalm has clear warfare language in it. God is described as opposing injustice and punishing the wrongdoer. God is portrayed as one that can not be overcome or outmatched. No one can muster up a force that can overthrow him. God’s “might” is connected to his control over nature and the nations, especially in preserving his people. When Mary spoke of the might of God, she was speaking of his unmatched power and his ability to overwhelm any enemy. Mary also spoke of God as being “holy,” which helps us understand how God uses his mighty power.
God's Uncompromising Holiness: Punishing Evil & Rewarding Humility
God’s holiness describes his moral character and his commitment to shaping the course of history. He is morally good and has an unwavering resolve to right all wrongs. When the prophets spoke of God’s holiness they didn’t simply speak of his morally impeccable character, but also referred to his commitment to punish evil and reward the humble. Isaiah 47 gives a dramatic description of God’s passion to punish evil.
Isaiah 47:1-4, “Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate. 2 Take the millstones and grind flour, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers. 3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one. 4 Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name — is the Holy One of Israel.”
God’s holiness was manifested when he took vengeance on the Babylonians for the evils that they did against his people, Israel. God’s holiness is like gravity. Gravity is a quality of an object that affects all other objects around it. The mass of an object affects the force of attraction that object has on another object. God’s holiness affects everything. His holiness cannot be contained or confined. His moral purity pushes out into every part of the universe. The wake of God’s holiness is felt by the wicked and the righteous. He punishes evil and rewards the humility of the righteous. Ezekiel 36 speaks of God’s holiness bringing about forgiveness and transformation.
God's Transforming Holiness: From Stone Hearts to New Creations
Ezekiel 36:22-26, “22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
God in his holiness changes hearts. He cleanses his people from their sins and removes their hearts of stone, which is the root cause of their evil deeds. God’s holiness is harmful and helpful to humanity. It is harmful to those that never repent of their sins and it is helpful to those that do. In his holiness, God is committed to vindication, vengeance, justice, and righteousness.
From Fear to Praise: Mary's Understanding of God's Mercy
If we stop here, we can see why many would be “afraid” of this God. If God is all-powerful and committed to the pursuit of righteousness then anyone that is sinful has reason to be scared. If we only see God as “mighty” and “holy” then he is like an all-powerful judge with an unlimited jurisdiction. No one can escape such a being. No one can overpower such a being. No one can hide their sin from such a being. That is terrifying! Yet, Mary praised the God she described with this language. The reason she could praise this mighty and holy being is because she saw him as merciful.
In verses 47 and 50, Mary speaks of the mercy of God. In verse 47, she called God her “savior.” This means that she saw herself as a sinner and God as the one who could free her from her guilt. She was not threatened by his holiness even though she was a sinner. She humbled herself and admitted her need for forgiveness. In verse 50, she spoke of God’s mercy being available to all those who fear him. Those who fear God acknowledge his power and holiness and as a result plead for his mercy.
Fearing God is not like the fear we have of spiders, snakes, or nutria. Our fear of such creatures makes us run from them. This is not the fear that God wants us to have. He doesn’t want us to be scared or terrified. He wants us to come closer to him and not run from him. We get a picture of this sort of fear in Exodus.
Exodus 20:20, “20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
God had just visited his people, Israel, on Mount Sinai with thunder, lightning, and smoke. They panicked at the display of God’s power and wanted to run. God told them through Moses not to display fear by running away from him, but to show fear in running toward him.
This reminds me of the fear I had of my father. I knew his power and his standard for my behavior. When I only thought of those two things I would run away when I had done something wrong. When I reminded myself that my dad loved me, I loved him, and that he would be merciful to me if I confessed, then I would come to him with the wrong that I had done. My thoughts about my father’s power and standards didn’t change, I simply remembered other things that were true about him. I did not need to subtract from my view of him, but to add to it. I believe the same is true in our concept of God. We should not diminish his power or holiness but rather remember his mercy as well.
We should fear God, but not be afraid of God.
We fear him because of his might and holiness, but we are not afraid of him because he is merciful. God will not let any idle word go unpunished or any evil desire not be accounted for. His justice is meticulous. His desire for justice will be satisfied because he has the power necessary to fulfill that desire. No one can overpower him or stop him from making all things right. We should not be afraid of God and his plan for cosmic justice because he is merciful. He has mercifully satisfied his justice in punishing Christ who willingly died for our sins.
Unmasking Your View of God: Fear, Reverence, and the Path to Confession
Let me ask you, do you fear God? Do you recognize and revere his power and holiness? Or, do you try to downplay his “might” by limiting his power? Do you live as though God doesn’t see the sins you do in secret or know the thoughts you keep from your spouse? Do you live as though you are outside of the reach of God’s hand? Do you think that God is too busy to address your disobedience? Or, do you try to downplay his “holiness” by changing his standard of morality or by disregarding his resolve to pursue justice? Do you live as though God is indifferent to your actions?
Let us follow Mary’s example by respecting God’s power and holiness. Let’s not shrink God down to a more manageable size. We must fear him, but not be afraid of him. When we rightly esteem his power and holiness we elevate his mercy. This mercy was on full display when Christ was willing to pay the penalty for crimes he didn’t commit. He was willing to experience God’s wrath on our behalf. This kind of love should move us to run to him and not from him. Let me ask you a question that will reveal how healthy your view of God’s might, holiness, and mercy is. What do you do when you sin? If you hide, then you underestimate God’s power. If you justify it, then you misunderstand his holiness. If you wallow in shame, then you have missed his mercy. If you confess, then you have a healthy view of God like Mary did.
Life Level Application:
Head: Read Exodus 15:1-18. What does Moses’ song say about the power and holiness of God? How does his song speak about the mercy of God? In what ways is this song similar to Mary’s song?
Heart: Read Leviticus 26:14-20 and 40-45. What emotions do you feel when you read about God’s judgment in verses 14-20? How does God promise to respond if his people confess in verses 40-45?
Hand: Read 1 John 1:9. How often do you make confession a part of your prayer life?
Habit: Read James 5:16. How often do you confess sin to someone? Does anyone confess their sin to you? How can you set up better spiritual accountability in your life?
